By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team will make its first official appearance in the Hooper Eblen Center over the weekend, hosting its annual Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn of Cookeville on Friday and Saturday.
The purple and gold will welcome in-state rival ETSU, Kennesaw State, and Cincinnati for a round-robin-style event, with four matches slated for Friday, Sept. 1 and two more on Saturday, Sept. 2. All six matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Mandy Thatcher and Dylan Vazzano providing the calls for the weekend.
Tech will compete in the bread matches on Friday, including a 10:30 a.m. CT affair with the Bucs and a 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Owls. The Golden Eagles also conclude the event Saturday afternoon with a showdown against the Bearcats.
THE MATCHUPS
Friday, September 1 – Tech vs. ETSU, 10:30 a.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
Friday, September 1 – Cincinnati vs. Kennesaw State, 1:00 PM | Live Stats | Live Video
Friday, September 1 – ETSU vs. Cincinnati, 5:00 PM | Live Stats | Live Video
Friday, September 1 – Tech vs. Kennesaw State, 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, September 2 – Kennesaw State vs. ETSU, 10:30 a.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
Saturday, September 2 – Tech vs. Cincinnati, 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
First Four
The Golden Eagles came out of the gates firing on all cylinders to open the 2023 campaign, winning each of their first four sets of the year for the first time since 2017. Following a season-opening, 3-0 sweep of Bellarmine at the Mountaineer Classic, Tech took the first set against William & Mary in what would end up as a tough, 3-2 loss. The purple and gold fell to host App State in the finale, 3-0, despite two impressive rallies over the final two sets.
Preseason Honors
A trio of Golden Eagles picked up Preseason All-OVC honors last week, including sophomore setter Jordan Karlen, junior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen, and graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom, the most Tech players earning preseason recognition since 2008.
Here Comes the Boom
After securing All-OVC Second Team honors to end 2022 and Preseason All-OVC Team accolades prior to this season, Boom opened the 2023 campaign with, well, a boom. For the third time in the past two seasons, the middle blocker took home All-Tournament honors, securing a place on the Mountaineer Classic squad after leading the Tech squad with nine total blocks for a 0.82 block per set average over the weekend. She added 25 kills while hitting an impressive .327 as well.
Setting Things Up
Back for her sophomore campaign after becoming the first player in OVC history to win both Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season, not to mention Tech's first-ever winner of Setter of the Year, Karlen opened the season with 96 assists over 11 sets of action, averaging 8.73 per game. The Janesville, Wis. native looked particularly strong in the weekend finale at App State, racking up six kills and nine digs to go along with 33 assists for an 11.00 per set average.
Consistent Attack
Just as she's done the past two seasons, Isringhausen continued to represent the top attacker for the Golden Eagles over the weekend, securing a team-leading 34 kills to average 3.09 per set. She notched her first double-double of the year with 12 kills and 10 digs against William & Mary, tacking on four service aces for good measure.
Floor General
Without skipping a beat, junior libero McKenna Young continued her strong play defensively in her fourth season in the purple and gold, tallying 41 digs across 10 sets to open the season. She piled up 14 in the three-set sweep of Bellarmine and another 20 in the five-set match against William & Mary.
Rising Rookie
Freshman right side Ava Schubert enjoyed a strong first weekend for the Golden Eagles, making her collegiate debut by doing a little bit of everything against Bellarmine. The rookie accounted for seven kills, three aces, and four blocks, racking up 12.5 points. She added seven kills and five digs in the second match before closing the weekend with eight more terminations, two aces, and five digs against App State.
Up Next
Tech will head south to continue the non-conference portion of its schedule next weekend, visiting Oxford, Miss. for the Ole Miss Invite. The Golden Eagles open play on Friday, Sept. 8 with a 4:00 p.m. CT tilt against Alcorn State. The purple and gold will then feature a double-dip on Saturday, squaring off with South Dakota State at 10:00 a.m. before rounding things out with a 4:00 p.m. match-up with the Rebels.
Photo by Michael Mann Jr.
